Illusion and Flame
by Simply Musicality
Summary: She awoke to the soft, rhythmic, sound of breathing. She smiled inwardly and stretched as she opened her eyes and looked around. Where exactly was she? The Illusion alchemist couldn't recall seeing a room like this. She frowned and put her hand on the bed, only to find a warm body. Startled, she looked down to find none other than Roy Mustang. Her only thought? Oh shit.


**A/N Prior to writing: … I am breaking one of the rules that I have based my entire fanfiction writing career upon. … I am going to write with an OC as a main character. I am heavily against this as when you write an OC, it becomes based off of yourself. When you base a character off of yourself, it becomes a Mary Sue. Everyone hates Mary Sues. Well, my mind is made up, and we shall see what happens.**

"Hello Colonel Jackass." Those were the exact words she chose to address her superior officer with as she entered his office, smirk across her face as it always was whilst dealing with said Colonel. She walked into the office and tossed her bag onto a chair, having just gotten off the train, and stood in front of the colonel's desk. "How's life?"

The colonel sighed. "Hello Illusion," he used her alchemist title, "Still lacking respect for authority I see."

The Illusion alchemist chuckled. "It's not that I lack respect for authority, it's that I lack respect for you." The colonel sighed, he had gotten used to the way she acted long ago and it no longer bothered him quite as much.

After all Colonel Roy Mustang, The Flame Alchemist, and Major Ella Rogers, The Illusion Alchemist, had known each other long before such respect had become necessary. Roy had once served under Ella's father, Richard Rogers, when he first entered the military. Thinking back on it, he had also worked alongside Tabitha Banks, Ella's mother. Richard and Tabitha's relationship was forbidden as they were both in the military serving alongside one another, but it was no secret. Since they were never married, it didn't matter much. Though even if they were to marry, Roy doubted that anyone would bother to care.

Roy remembered hearing of a soldier trying to talk a nine months pregnant Tabitha out of fighting and how he miserably. Though the soldier did still try, only to be pushed away by Richard and to be told it was no big deal and to let her fight. Of course, as the story goes, no sooner than half an hour later Ella was born and was dubbed "The Battlefield Baby" for much of her younger life.

When Roy came into the picture, Ella was around five years old. Richard had taken a liking to Roy and had gotten to know him personally and outside the military. It was not uncommon for Roy to be called in to babysit Ella. He never really minded because Ella was a very timid child and nervous around Roy, so aside from the occasional request to put in a movie for her or help her with homework, they kept to themselves. This allowed Roy to get some time to himself and it was not uncommon for him to fall asleep on the couch, waking the next morning to the aroma of a freshly made breakfast and a place at the table set just for him. He was considered part of the family.

It had been devastating to both Ella and Roy when Richard and Tabitha died.

It was during the Isbalan War, both fighting valiantly. Tabitha was shot in the back while attempting to help a fallen child get out of the way of the fighting. Richard was shot to the head holding his beloved's body and comforting her as she passed on. Roy heard the news and was stricken with grief. Richard had been a big part in his life, a friend and a role model... The father he never really had. His next thought was for Ella. She was eleven at the time, still too young to lose a parent, let alone to lose both parents. As soon as the war in Ishbal ended and he was sent home, he immediately sought out Ella. He visited the home of her grandparents only to discover that after finding out about her parents she had run away, and because of her age and how long she had been missing, was presumed dead. Roy was devastated.

Though in all honesty, he shouldn't have been too surprised when Ella showed up four years after her disappearance. She had grown up significantly in those years. Other than the obvious… development she had undergone, as a person she had matured. Talking to her felt like talking to a peer, not a fifteen year old. She had studied alchemy diligently and had become quite the young alchemist in those years, and the first thing she did when she got to central was demand to take the alchemy exam. When she was laughed at and told to go home to her parents, she explained to them in a low menacing tone that she had none, and if they didn't comply, she would simply have to demonstrate her talents on them and simply hope that someone more reasonable would show up and see, and then allow her to take the exam. Needless to say, they let her take the exam.

Surprising everyone, she passed. She earned the title of "The Illusion Alchemist" based on her new and unique alchemy based on manipulation of the mind. This is when Roy first learned of Ella's existence. He immediately sought her out and arrived at her apartment. She smiled upon seeing him and welcomed him in. They talked over coffee about what the other had been up to since Ella's disappearance and discussed alchemy in great length, each enjoying the company of the other.

That was a little over a year ago. Since then, Ella would check in with Roy whenever she was in central. It was mostly for military work, turning in reports and such on the effects of mind alteration alchemy, though on occasion they would go and talk over lunch. Since their reunion after her disappearance, Ella had gained a tendency to be a bit of bitch around Roy. If he had to guess, he'd say that his assistant Riza made Ella uncomfortable. It was a bit obvious that Ella favored Roy in a more romantic manner, though Roy would never confront her about it to her face. He knew better than to do that.

"Of course Ella." He replied to her with sarcasm evident in his voice. "We are all aware of how you dislike me." Ella laughed.

"It breaks your heart doesn't it?" she placed her hand over her heart dramatically as she spoke. "The little girl you absolutely ADORE can't stand your guts! How HORRID…" She dragged out both syllables of the word. "Poor Roy…" She said as her bottom lip stuck out into an overdramatic pout. The side of Roy's mouth lifted into a half amused smirk which he quickly hid.

"Yes, poor me indeed. Now what brings you to central?" he asked.

"Paperwork." Ella made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat then looked over the colonels desk. "Obviously a concept you aren't familiar with." She remarked as she moved the colossal stack of papers on his desk to the chair next to his desk.

"Oh I'm familiar with the concept." He fought back. "It's just so BORING.." he mimicked her tone from earlier in their conversation. Well, not really a conversation. Not yet anyhow. It was more of an exchange of banter. Ella took a seat on his desk.

"The pains of authority…" She said with a sigh. Roy nodded and frowned at the young brunette who was now sitting atop his desk.

"There are perks to authority however," he began, "Like being able to give orders. For example, get off of my desk Illusion."

"There are also perks to knowing people who hold positions of authority in a more intimate manner. Those perks go something like, I don't think so Roy. Your desk is quite comfortable." Roy frowned and responded with a grunt; Ella found this less than satisfactory and continued. "Besides, you probably like me sitting on your desk. Dirty old pervert." She gave a playful and teasing wink in his direction.

"And just what do you mean by that? Why would I like you sitting on my desk? And I'm not old, nor am I a pervert." Roy remarked defensively. Ella sighed.

"I mean that now that I'm on your desk, there's no room for work." She smirked at him, but Roy was obviously still completely lost on what she was insinuating.

"And that's a bad thing. If I don't get my work completed, I don't become fuhrer." The flame alchemist thought over what he just said before he continued. "… Riza also gets angry with me. And in all honesty, she scares me."

"Who ISN'T afraid of lieutenant Hawkeye?" Ella asked then shook her head. "You're missing the point Roy. No room for work on your desk, but plenty of room for play." She smirked at him. Roy stared at her blankly.

Then he got it.

Oh.

_OH. _

She was implying that, but he had never, I mean she was so young, I mean sure she'd grown up, and DEVELOPED in all the right places, but it was…

Roy couldn't bring himself to call it wrong, even just in his head.

Ella sighed.

"Relax Roy, it's a joke. We both know you're as interested in sleeping with me as you are in completing that paperwork." She glanced at the mountain of papers in the chair beside her. Roy took note that she said nothing about whether or not SHE wanted to sleep with HIM, but he pushed the thought away and forced a laugh.

Ella reached out and grabbed a neon green flyer that had been sitting on Roy's desk. It was a flyer for the annual military dance. Riza had slipped it casually onto his desk that morning and he glanced over it. It was going to be a night for dancing and pleasantries and pretending to like the people you worked with for the sake of preventing awkwardness at the workplace. If Roy took Riza and they had both had a little too much to drink and wound up in his apartment… Then their working relationship would be compromised… To say the absolute least. Roy had dismissed the event as something to do if he was bored on that particular evening.

"Are you going to this?" The young alchemist asked, holding the flyer up to Roy.

"I might." He replied. "Why is it of any importance to you?" Ella shrugged.

"It's not really I guess… I was just curious…" Ella played it off as nothing, but Roy knew her well enough to know that she was frustrated with his lack of a definite answer.

Ella liked things black and white. Though, she had not always been that way. Roy assumed the change in her personality was due to her parents' death. The death of innocent people is wrong. Black. People have the right to raise their children and grow old enough to see their weddings. White. Roy did not know whether or not he would attend the ball. Gray.

"Are you going?" Roy asked her. He knew what the answer would be, but he figured he would ask anyway.

"No." she responded immediately. "No one to go with, nothing to wear, people avoiding me like the plague because they don't want to bring home a 'child' in a drunken haze, no thanks." Ella reached down and grabbed the mug on Roy's desk that held a multitude of pens and started to play with them. Roy opened his mouth to speak, and then hesitated. He wasn't quite sure how she would react, but as it's said, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"What if you went with me?" he asked. Only after he had spoken did he realize how it sounded. "Not as a date, but more of like a bodyguard. That way you get the experience, but none of the awkward mornings." Ella glanced at him then frowned and looked away.

"No."

"Yes." He took out his wallet and placed money on the desk. "Buy yourself a dress, and make sure you look presentable and be at my apartment by seven." Ella eyed the money on the desk and hesitated, but took it.

"I guess it's a date Mustang."

With that, she took the money, picked up her bag and walked out the door. She had a date to prepare for.


End file.
